The ABCD SW is a computer-based didactic software designed for autistic children based on Applied Behavior Analysis principles. It includes two parts that can run on different devices: a web application for tutors and a touchscreen application for children. The software provides personalized, adaptive, and flexible lessons to help autistic children improve their skills through discrete trial training exercises. It allows tutors to quickly configure lessons and record session data for monitoring child progress.

1. ABCD SW: Autistic Behavior &
Computer-based Didactic Software
Maria Claudia Buzzi - CNR/IIT
Marina Buzzi - CNR/IIT
Davide Gazzè - CNR/IIT
Caterina Senette - CNR/IIT
Maurizio Tesconi - CNR/IIT
W4A 2012 Microsoft Accessibility Challenge

2. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Pervasive development disturbance
• Difficulty/inability to communicate
• Impaired social integration
ASD includes: Autism, Asperger syndrome, Pervasive
Developmental Disorder, etc.
alarming trend:
from 1/2.000 in 1980
to 1/150 in 2007
W4A 2012 Microsoft Accessibility Challenge – Lyon 16 April 2012

3. Conventional educational techniques are often not
effective:
• difficulty understanding spoken language
• different sensorial perception (noise, contact, etc….)
• difficulty concentrating
• inability to communicate needs
• difficulty/inability to accomplish tasks
=> (provoking frustration and “problem behaviors”)
These numerous problems and needs require a
personalized educational approach to best exploit the
child’s abilities
W4A 2012 Microsoft Accessibility Challenge – Lyon 16 April 2012

4.  Early and intensive intervention (beginning in
preschool for at least 6 hours a day) produce
significant improvement in knowledge and
skills
 high-functioning children with development
corresponding to the normotype
ABCD SW is specifically developed for kindergarten and
primary school children
W4A 2012 Microsoft Accessibility Challenge – Lyon 16 April 2012

5. Didactic software for low-functioning autistic children
based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
The application has been split into 2 independent parts that
may run on different devices:
W4A 2012 Microsoft Accessibility Challenge – Lyon 16 April 2012

6. Distributed Web architecture: anytime, anyplace, any pace
ABCD SW is a Web
application coded in
PHP and AJAX
HTML5 Client
The SW relies on the Drupal Content Management System (CMS)
Advantages :
 data organization
 scalability
 db population
 native support for Multilanguage
…
W4A 2012 Microsoft Accessibility Challenge – Lyon 16 April 2012

7. • Accessible and Adaptive (perceivable, operable,
comprehensible)
– AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication)
– DTT (Discrete Trial Training )
– Changes according to child’s abilities: non-receptive
and/or non-verbal
• Simple/natural
– A dedicated touch-screen device for the child
– Similar to face-to-face sessions
W4A 2012 Microsoft Accessibility Challenge – Lyon 16 April 2012

8. • Flexible (as required by psychologists and ABA tutors)
– The SW guides ABA tutors in configuring the best
intervention following the ABA principles
– BUT it allows to make other configurations
– if the Tutor wants to follow a different order in
the Programs/Levels proposed
W4A 2012 Microsoft Accessibility Challenge – Lyon 16 April 2012

9. • Simple to configure
– The system randomly select distractors discarding
elements similar in color and form
– The R key allows to change distractors if not suitable
• Fast
– The tutor evaluates each trial pressing one key
– 1-5: levels of prompt (0-100%)
– C: child error
– N: no collaboration
– S: self stimulation
– The tutor activates the reinforcement (0 key) and writes
comments
W4A 2012 Microsoft Accessibility Challenge – Lyon 16 April 2012

10. • Fast
– No time required to realize teaching materials
– Easy trial’s set up
Further Advantages
– The Sw records all the data related to the child’s
interaction
– Fastly exchange of sessions’ information
– Better monitoring of child’s progress
– Possibility to realize epidemiology studies (anonymized data)
W4A 2012 Microsoft Accessibility Challenge – Lyon 16 April 2012

11. • Open Source
Join us!
Together we are stronger…

12. Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqa-enVAfjg

13. Demo
http://abcdsw.iit.cnr.it

14. http://abcd.iit.cnr.it/